Combined clamp and bracket



May 18, 1954 1.. A. MPHADEN 2,678,791

COMBINED CLAMP AND BRACKET Filed July 18, 1950 3nventor Gttorneg Patented May 18, 1954 2,678,791 COMBINED CLAMP AND BRACKET Lawrence A.

McPliadcn, North Girard, Pa.

Application July 18, 1950, Serial No. 174,407

3 claims. 1

This invention relates generally to a combined clamp and bracket for attachment to the side of a doorway.

In arched doorways in a home, it is difficult to pass screws, nails, or like fastening members into the sidewalls thereof to provide a supporting or a latching bracket for a gate inasmuch as these walls usually only have a plaster foundation and much of the plaster is broken away in the use of screws, nails, and the like: Nails; screws; or like fastening devices driven into plaster or like material have no holding qualities and they quickly become loose. When it is necessary to remove the nails, screws, or like fastening, de vices from plaster, they leave gaping holes which usually cannot be repaired and painted without painting all of the walls in the room. Even where there is a wooden doorv frame; it is not desirable to pass screws, nails; and the like through the finished woodwork; Where several brackets must be provided in a doorway, such as the provision of support for a folding gate; it is difficult for an inexperienced person to properly locate brackets in the first instance; thereby requiring the removal of screws, nails, and the like before the gate is properly hung.

It is desirable to dispose gates in doorways temporarily while a child is small; however, one does not desire to mar the woodwork or the plaster work. It is especially desirable to place a gate in a doorway on a porch during the summer months where there are small children in the family. A removable bracket for attachment to the sides of a doorway without marring the finish thereon to provide supports for the hinges of a gate and a latching bracket is particularly de-' sirable.

It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to overcome the above and other defects in combined clamps and brackets and it is more particularly an object of my invention to provide a combind clamp and bra'cl'ret which is simple in construction, economical in cost, economical in manufacture, and efficient in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a detachable clamp with aii outwardly extending bracket for attachment ti) the side of a doorway.

Another object or in'vei is to provide removable cushioning memb r or a cla iiip.

Another object or iriveii on is to" provide combined te1escoping clamp members and a bracket for roviding an on wardly ex ei idi" bracket from two spaced pa"'alll Wall surfaces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a combined clamp and bracket which may be manufactured economically from stampings.

Another object of m invention is to provide clamps for the sides of a doorway which are safe in that they have no projecting portions and they will carry a comparatively heavy load without harm to thewall.

Another object of invention is to provide a novel combination and arrangement of parts and elements in a combined clam-ping device and bracket for attachment to the end or a wall;

Other objects of my invention will become evident from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing my novel combined clamp and bracket secured in a doorway to hingedly support one side of a collapsible gate and to latch and support the opposite side of the gate;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of my novel combined clamp and bracket;

s Fig. 3 is a bottom view of my novel clamp and bracket shown in Fig; 2;

Fig. l is a view taken on the line G l of Fig; 3;

Fig. 5 is an endview of the combined clamp and bracket shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective fragmentary view of the struck-out stop member in my novel clamp and.

bracket.

Referring now to the drawings; I show in Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive; mated telescoping, channel shaped male and female members 2 and i hav ing the outer ends 3' and 4 thereof bent at right angles to the line of movement of the members i and 2; Female member I has spacedinwardly flanged portions 5 on opposite sides thereof so that the member 2 will be held in and guided in a longitudinally movable path when in slidable engagement with the female member l. The right angled portions 3. andltcf the members i and 2 have apertures B and "l for receiving the headed projections 8 and 9 of cylindrical cush ioning members H and i2; thecushioning members beingpreferably made of rubber. The headed projections 8 and 9 snap into the apertures 6 and i on the right angled ends 3. and 4 or the members i and 2 to hold and position the Cashioning members it andl2, The cushioningmembers H and i2 prevent damage to the sidewalls l3 and i l in which they are in engagement.

Female member i has a bracket [5 s aperture is struck out transversely thereof to r i a rm se-o a .l'e'i e i i a ai k t-iii any desired use. For the purposes of illustration, I show in Fig. l the bracket l5 used in conjunction with the hanging of a gate in which pins (not shown) on one side of the gate enter the I6 of the bracket I to form hinged and the other side of the gate is atmy novel apertured bracket by a pull pin I8. The bracket I5 may be struck out at any desired angle from the member I. The bracket I5 may also be attached to the member I by welding or a like suitable method of attachment; however, I prefer to stamp it out to very materially lower the cost thereof.

Male member 2 has a channel shaped stop member 2| struck outwardly at right angles from the bottom thereof with a reversely bent lug 20. The stop member 2| has an aperture 22 therein for receiving a screw bolt 23, the screw bolt 23 extending through aperture 24 in the right angled end 3 of member I and having a crossgrooved head 25. The aperture 22 in the stop member 2! is a predetermined distance from the bottom of the female member I so that a square or recaperture supports tached to tangular nut 26 of predetermined outside dimensions threadedly engaging the screw bolt 23 extends through the struck out opening 30 in the bottom of the male member 2 and seats on the bottom of female member I and is held against rotation thereby in cooperation with the lug 20. The outer sides of the right angled ends 3 and 4 2 are bossed outwardly at BI and 32 for strengthening purposes and to nest the head 25 of the bolt 23 and the projections 8 and 9 on cushioning members II and 12.

In the assembly of my novel combined clamp and bracket, the male member 2 is slidably engaged with the female member I, the screw bolt 23 is extended through the aperture 24 in the end 3 of the member I and the aperture 22 in the stop 2I, and nut 26 is disposed in the struck out portion 30 of the bottom of the male member 2 in engagement with the bottom of the female member I and the screw bolt 23 is threadedly engaged therewith.

In the disposal of my novel combined clamp and bracket on the end of a wall as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cushioning members II and I2 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than driver in engagement with the grooved head 25 thereof. The cushioning members I I and I2 are then placed in a predetermined position astraddle the wall and they are pushed together against the sides of the wall as shown in Fig. 2. The screw bolt 23 is then rotated by means of a screw driver in engagement with the grooved head 25 thereof whereby the nut 26 held against rotation by its engagement with the bottom of female member I and the lug abuts against member 2| and secures my novel clamping device to the wall. The apertured bracket I5 may then be used for any suitable purpose. It has been found particularly useful for hanging a collapsible gate in a doorway as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be evident from the foregoing descripengaged, one which is made very economically from stampings, one which is so constructed and simplified that a minimum amount of stamping work must be performed thereon, and one which provides a bracket which will support a comparatively heavy weight.

Various changes may be made in the specific embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A combined clamp and bracket comprising channel shaped, telescopically disposed, male and female members, said female member having flanged portions attached to the longitudinal sides thereof for guiding said male member in a longitudinal direction, an apertured bracket struck outwardly from said female member, an apertured stop member struck inwardly from a cut out portion in said male member, a right angled clamping member attached to each of said channel shaped members and disposed at right angles thereto for engaging spaced wall surfaces, the clamping member on said female member having an aperture, a screw bolt extending through the aperture in the clamping member on said female member and through said apertured stop member, and a nut threadably engaging said screw bolt adapted to engage said stop member and restrained against turning by the bottom of said female member, said nut being disposed in the cut out portion of said male member.

2. A combined clamp and bracket comprising mated, telescopically disposed male and female members, an apertured bracket struck outwardly from said female member, an apertured stop member struck inwardly from said male member having a bent portion, a right angled clamping member attached to each of said mated telescoping members in spaced relation, a screw bolt engaging the clamping member on said female member and said stop member and extending through said stop member, and a nut threadably engaging said screw bolt and engaging said stop member to secure said male and female members together, said bent portion on said stop member restraining said nut against rotation.

3. A combined clamp and bracket comprising telescopically disposed, mated, channel shaped male and female members, the male member being nested in the female member, a right angled clamping portion on each of said male and female members, a bracket struck outwardly from said female member, an apertured stop member struck out and extending inwardly from said male member, a screw bolt engaging said clamp ing portion of said female member and extending through said inwardly struck apertured stop member of said male member, and a nut threadably engaging said screw bolt to move said male and female members relatives to each other, said inwardly struck out stop member defining a stop for said nut.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

